On Books: March 4, 2022

On books: March 4, 2022

I read. A lot. I joined goodreads a while back and startled myself a bit. For the 2021 reading challenge, I recorded 248 books.

So far in 2022, I have read 60. Some are rereadings of favorites, of course.

The books on my “currently reading” list include:

Death on the Nile. By Agatha Christie. It has been many years since I read this book and the movie is not the way I remember it. A reread is required to see how well the movie matches the book.

Sweep of the Heart. By Ilona Andrews. This author publishes the Innkeeper series of books by posting chapters on her website. Eventually, they are edited and published. This is the latest. This series is uncomplicated fantasy adventure reading and I have read them a number of times. https://ilona-andrews.com/sweep-of-the-heart/

Slouching towards Bethlehem: Essays by Joan Didion. A collection of essays loosely connected around California in the 1960”s.

Windswarn by Alan Derek Siddoway. This was a freebie and has been on my kindle for a while. Somehow, I am not getting into it. I read rapidly and it is rare for a book to stay on my reading list for more than a week or two unless it is for a Bible Study, book club or is a serial publication.

Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel. I missed it when it was initially published. This was recommended and I have it checked out from the Dallas public Library via Overdrive. (With the closing of my local library with the incident which shall not be named, I have made great use of the overdrive and libby apps. I started using the libby app for audiobooks because some of the books I wanted to read were available via audiobook before I could check them out in kindle or eBook format. Station Eleven is interesting. I thought I would be reading a book about a pandemic. It is, sort of. But it is also about life after the fall of a civilization and has look backs to the time prior to the pandemic and an actor who is one of the first to die. It is interesting to compare written thoughts on what a pandemic might be to what is actually playing out in the real world.

When Faith Becomes Sight: Opening Your Eyes to God’s Presence All Around You by Beth Booram. This one is a book club with Pastor Jackie at PMLC (https://pmlc.org ) @PMLCofficial

Words of Life: Jesus and the Promise of the Ten Commandments Today by Adam Hamilton. Tuesday morning Lift meeting at Preston Meadow Lutheran Church.

Teaching with Poverty in Mind: What Being Poor Does to Kids’ Brains and What Schools Can Do About It by Eric Jensen. I do volunteer work at the Network in Richardson. https://thenetwork.org/ They occasionally have a book club session. The next one comes up March 17 and will discuss this book and Educated.

Educated by Tara Westover. A memoir written by a woman who grew up poor in an environment isolated from what is considered normal education today. I am finding this one quite engaging. Apparently, her mother has also published a book about some of the same events (which she sees differently). I may need to find this book and read it, but if even a quarter of what Tara Westover writes is remembered correctly by her than I would say this family had quite a variety of problems.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah Maas. I added this one on March 1. I tried to read this once, a while back and couldn’t get into it. Trying it again.

I used to think I had to finish every book I started. Now, I am more willing to put a book aside and perhaps (or perhaps not) returning to it later) .